I haven't been on this forum for a while so I thought it was time to address the question in the subject heading!

Feedback I receive about the Phonics International resources/programme is extremely positive ranging from people using the programme with young children to adults!

One worry I have had, however, is people feeling quite overwhelmed when they find all the free resources and message forum because there is so much provided and so much to read. People tell me that they don't know 'where to start'. Oh dear....

I'm trying to address this with the provision of video-clips and I'm writing a simple-as-possible manual to take people through their first basic steps. Please do try to read the free 'Information and Guidance' booklet already provided at the top of the free unit 1 webpage, though, as this explains the synthetic phonics teaching principles and is a very good starting point. Also, there are some simple downloadable documents on the homepage such as 'In a Nutshell..' and 'Choices for Basic Phonics Lessons'.

Mr H has just uploaded an 8 minute video (green box on the homepage of www.phonicsinternational.com ) which is succinct and might be helpful. In addition, the 30 minute presentation video takes people through the basic structure of the overall programme to give an understanding of the nature of the Phonics International resources.

I have designed the CORE TEACHER MODELLING CARDS (to be found in the Early Years Starter Package for units 1 to 6) with simplicity in mind for the novice teacher/parent/tutor (novice in the sense of new to synthetic phonics teaching).

These cards will start 'teachers' off by providing all that is needed for the simplest lesson introductions - new alphabetic code (letter/s-sound correspondences) and words to blend, a space for modelling writing, and words provided on each card to take learners through the spelling process.

To see the spelling process, please watch the 8 minute video about the 'power of synthetic phonics teaching.....'

Following on from this basic lesson introduction, learners then need to rehearse the teaching for themselves with some form of 'Sounds Book' activities.

There are the core SOUNDS BOOK ACTIVITY SHEETS in the full PI programme with guidance on every sheet throughout the 12 units. You can hear about these on the 30 minute presentation video.

There are the core EARLY YEARS STARTER ACTIVITY SHEETS in the Early Years Starter Package for units 1 to 6.

Please bear in mind that there are 90+ correspondences in units 1 to 6 so the Early Years Starter Package is still a very substantial programme in its own right and this is an ideal 'taster' for the quality of resources provided with Phonics International.

There will be more videos to come. Hannah Hogan, one of our PI accredited trainers in China, has made some videos with Chinese translations to support parents and teachers in China. I'll let people know when these are uploaded. _________________Debbie Hepplewhite

I love the new cards Debbie, they are great, and perfect for whole class or group teaching and display. I'm thinking about how to use them with my individual learners alongside the sound book activity sheets, I'll let you know what I come up with, and any ideas anyone else has are always welcome.

I'm very excited about this new resource and keep wondering why I didn't design it a long time ago!

Sometimes, the simplest things can be the hardest to design!

I realised that I had put all essential contents on the learners' ACTIVITY SHEETS referred to above, but that I had left the 'lesson introductions' (the adults' resources) too reliant on teachers and parents to make decisions for themselves about 'exemplar words' (having said that, I have provided the PICTURE POSTERS, 'HEAR THE SOUNDS' and MINI POSTERS ranges plus the ALPHABETIC CODE FRIEZE POSTERS and so on!).

Nevertheless, I myself think the CORE TEACHER MODELLING CARDS will be a very welcome and useful addition to the programme - very central to lesson introductions - and very supportive.

Not only that, as a programme designer, I have to make sure that everyone using the programme will be able to do so to a good standard using essential content. Many people will be complete novices to leading-edge synthetic phonics teaching. If it's taken me so many years to reach this point, it is vital that I 'skip' those years of experience and wider-reading for everyone else and provide as simply as possible what is needed for effective teaching.

Every teacher, tutor, parent can then bring their own teaching style to their students and adapt the programme in its 'delivery'. If some suggestions are geared towards younger students, for example, the 'teacher' can simply adapt/deliver those suggestions/words appropriately for older students - and vice versa.

Common sense and adapting to individual scenarios is then the responsibility of the user!

A word of caution - I find people may use Phonics International resources very happily whilst not using the resources as a complete 'programme'. Then the best results cannot be expected if too many competing activities and programmes are undertaken in parallel! _________________Debbie Hepplewhite